PRISON REFORM

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 7078, 16 March 1910, Page 6

PRISON REFORM

While a not inconsiderable number of people have been talking about reform in a loose, unhelpful way, the Attor-ney-General since taking office has applied himself to the task in a practical, workmanlike manner, and tho country lias alroady benefited by readjustments, complete changes and modifications introduced by him into various branches of the public service and tho administration of law. For some time Dr Findlay, imprcssod by the dreary wooden-headed methods wo have pursued of grappling with tho problems of crime and criminals, has devoted himself to devising a system, of prison administration, that' would boar resemblance to- what has beea shown.by experience in older countries to be socially desirable. Tha memorandum ho has now issued for public- information indicates tho linos on which ho , proboses Parliament should give authority for movement. In considering this question of prisoß reform it must be borne in mind that the object aimed, at is not to make gaol a comfortable plaoo for offenders against the law. 'The aim of modern prison treatment is the protection of society against tho depredations of criminals,. and the manner of doing this is by turning ■ the gaols from places of hum-drum detention, in which vice flourishes and tho souls of men perish, into reformatories.

The old plan of lockujg prisoners up for certain periods—decided usually by rule of thumb or wbiai-^and; then liberating them has hojelessly failed as a corrective and a protection. Men are sent to gaol—and must of them turned out again worse corally and physically than when theyi went in to prey once more on law-abidkig citizens. Modern theories of penology reject thia , proceeding entirely, and it will bo seen that Dr Mndlay's me&orandum, is based upon the doctrine that re.formatory effort should be fee guiding principal throughout. Thsre is to be an intelligent classdficationj. a gen. nine attempt to introduce the social ideal into prison environment. Legislation will, of course, be necessary to put a scheme of this kind into effect, but there cam be little douibt thatthia will be forthcoming, as the anticpwfced method hitherto followed has been a hopeless failure. On the detail of such plans there is always the difference of opinion that prevaila whenever experiments are tried, but in iij broad outline the scheme pubKshet' this-morning is decidedly promising. There is nothing particularly: novel about it, and it mraßfc not be looked' upon as a leap in i&e dark. It merely happens that the New Zealand prison administration bad become obsolete in comparison with other countries. '.